Speak Now
by Rac4hel414
Summary: Gabriella's cousin just dropped a bombshell. Her ex is getting married. There's only one thing you can do...


**A/N: Alright so Tay's new single inspired me and this is my tribute to her :) xLeeRamdomx liked it :D I hope you do, too :)**

* * *

Speak Now

"Unbelievable," I grumbled, staring in disbelief at the embossed card in my hands.

"I'm sorry, Brie," Chad, my cousin slash best friend slash older brother, mumbled. Okay, so he wasn't my brother. He's my cousin. Two months older, a lot taller, and a lot more popular than I, the mere medical student. But, we had always lived so close to each other that I preferred to call him my brother. He might as well be considering the amount of time he spent at our house instead of his own.

I shook my head as I sat down at my desk. "This isn't supposed to happen. You said he wasn't with anybody."

He sighed, running a hand through his wild, untameable hair. "He wasn't the last time we spoke."

"When was that?" I whispered.

He shrugged. "Maybe a year, eighteen months. You know we never stayed in contact-" He cut short but I knew what he nearly said.

"Because of me," I murmured, throwing the invitation aside, letting it land on my mountain of medical textbooks.

"Hey, that's not a bad reason," he said consolingly.

"But true," I countered. "In my defence, I never asked you to stop being friends with him."

He nodded. "I know. But, I wouldn't be a very good brother if I did that. I did try. I mean, I know you wanted me to. It was just too awkward."

I nodded and stood up. "Are you going?"

"He wants me to be best man," he explained.

I pulled a face. "Why would they do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

I ran a hand through my dark curls. "Are you going?"

"I don't know," he repeated. "Brie," he whispered.

"What?" I snapped.

"You haven't spoken to him in three years. He was bound to get married sooner or later." He paused as realisation dawned. "You still love him."

I hit him over the head. "Thank you, Einstein." I shook my head to myself. "I actually thought we'd get back together."

He smiled sympathetically. "Maybe she's really horrible."

I shook my head. "She won't be though. He always had really good taste in girls."

Chad pulled me into a comforting hug. "It's alright, Brie." He pulled back to look into my eyes. "Are you going to speak now?"

I creased my brow together. "Eh?"

"Speak now or forever hold your piece," he said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which, I suppose, it was.

I sighed. "I don't know. I'll get back to you on that."

Once Chad had left, curiosity got the better of me. I opened my laptop and logged onto facebook, being greeted by 25 notifactions and my profile picture of me and Chad in camouflage clothing before we went paintballing. Clicking on the notifications tab, I saw that it all started with a wall post by Sharpay, one of my best friends.

**Did you hear about Mr Big-Time-Basketball-Lunkhead-Lost-The-Best-Thing-He-Ever-Had? *hugs if not* xxx**

I sighed. Trust Sharpay to write on my wall instead of a private message like anyone with an ounce of logic. Writing on my wall meant that my _entire friend list_ could read it. I sighed as I scrolled down the page to discover that each of my nine friends who had (without suggestion from me) chosen me over Troy, had commented, giving me their condolences and how they were refusing to go to the wedding.

They had all received invites.

I wasn't that selfish that I wouldn't let them go to the wedding. Scrolling even further, I read (with amusement) a rousing debate between Sharpay and Taylor about what dress I should wear because I was apparently crashing the wedding.

Just as I was about to type a well-organised, polite reply to tell them to basically let it go, I got two IM pop ups. Of course. I stared at the screen blankly, reading the messages but not quite understanding them. Knowing that it would annoy Sharpay to hell and back but unable to stop it, I began thinking about _him_.

Troy David Alexander Bolton.

Thank you very much, Chad Danforth. Chad and Troy met at East High during their try outs for the basketball team. Troy became the first sophomore ever to make the varsity team, eventually taking the rightful title of captain and Chad was close behind, earning co-captain. They were inseparable. But, of course, because Chad and I were inseparable, Troy and I were, too. A sad case of affairs, some would say. The three musketeers. Throughout high school, it was just us.

* * *

While I was lying on my bed, completing some biology homework, Troy threw a basketball up in the air and caught it again. He sighed with frustration. I knew what he was thinking but I gave no other reaction other than the continuous scratching of my pen against paper. He wouldn't voice his thoughts. He wasn't that brave. He would suffer in silence for a while.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him spin his basketball on the tip of his finger. That _used to be_ impressive. Until he'd done it so often that even I could do it.

He was bored. Some people would feel sorry for him. But not me. He has a perfectly good basketball hoop. He could practice his baskets and three pointers.

"This sucks," he finally muttered.

Shocked that he had _dared_ to speak while I was doing homework, I lifted my head, keeping my hand poised just above the page. "Excuse me?"

He shrugged and rested the basketball in his lap. He stared out of my window from his perching position on my window sill. "Chad...Tay..." He sighed. "We've lost him."

I chewed my pen thoughtfully. "It's only the first week. They'll still be thriving off of the original adrenaline which naturally comes from the relief that the specific person wants to be with you, too. It'll wear off. Especially considering how much they fight." I paused and frowned. "Listen to me, talking about relationships as if I'm an expert," I muttered.

He chuckled to himself as he turned to me. "How's bio?"

I shrugged. "It's just the basic essay about the activity of amino acids." I laughed at his clueless expression. "Calm down, you know this is AP, right?"

He breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Thank God. Jeez, El, don't scare me like that."

I rolled my eyes. "It's too easy."

He smiled and ran a hand through his sandy mop of hair. "So you don't think we've lost Chad?"

I shook my head. "Not a chance. Come on, Alex. We both know him." I chewed my pen for a moment. "We all need balance in our lives and being with someone, whether as a friend, more than friends or eventually getting married, you need time away from that person. Otherwise you'd go insane. At least, that's what my mom and dad say."

He spun the basketball on his finger again, sending a wink my way. "I don't blame them with a daughter like you."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to biology. Troy always did that. We would be having a normal, slightly intellectual, slightly humorous conversation and then he would throw an insult in my direction. I knew he was teasing and part of me wanted to laugh, to pretend it didn't bother me. But, then, that seemed to finalise that he viewed our relationship exactly as Chad did: best friend slash sister.

I can't remember when it happened exactly, but all I knew was that I loved him. I loved his humour, his intelligence (maybe not in biology), his honesty, his confidence, his physical appearance, his voice, even his smell. Sometimes, when we'd watch the stars, just him and me, I'd pretend that I felt cold just so he'd put his jacket around me.

"El, are you okay?" he asked carefully.

I nodded abruptly. "Sure."

I saw him roll his eyes. "God, why are girls so complicated?" he grumbled as he rested his basketball back in his lap.

I frowned and stopped writing, slowly sitting up. I stared at him for a long time. "Girls? You think we're complicated?" I exclaimed.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. You never say what's on your mind. We have to guess and, more often than not, we get it wrong which makes you angry."

I took a deep breath. "Troy," I began, signalling that I was angry – I never called him Troy, only Alex, "you don't understand the things us girls don't understand about guys."

"We're not that complicated. Sports, food, girls...We're happy," he explained.

I sighed and looked across at him, noticing not for the first time how he had progressed from tall and lanky boy to well built and muscular man. "Alex, what are we going to do?"

He moved over and set the basketball on my desk chair. He sat down next to me so that his body was facing mine, our hips touching each others'. "About what, El?"

"This is our last year together. Three musketeers." I paused. "I want this year to be different. You know, special. I don't want this to be _just_ my senior year. I want it to be important. Special."

He shrugged. "Don't we all." He scratched the back of his neck. But, that meant he was nervous...

I stared at him curiously. "Alex," I murmured, "what's wrong?"

"Be my girlfriend," he exclaimed, making it sound much more like a demand than a request.

I sat there in a stunned silence. Even though I had not spent evenings pining away for Troy, I had recognised my feelings for him as soon as possible. Even though I never expected this moment to actually happen, I had imagined it differently. It didn't involve melancholy feelings about only having one year before I inevitably went to Stanford to study medicine and Troy asked me softly, a mere whisper, not simply a statement which had been a result of nerves.

But, as I stared at Troy with a newfound realisation that even he (the most popular guy at East High, by the way) got nervous when asking girls out, I knew that this was the best proposal that I was going to get. I'd seen him with numerous girlfriends and all of them had complained at one point or another about the way in which Troy had asked them out. I had never truly understood (because I was never around when he asked girls out) but now I did.

"You want me as your girlfriend," I finally mumbled.

He shrugged. "You want your senior year to be more special and everybody in our gang has someone. I mean, we could give it a shot, couldn't we?"

I knew I didn't look convinced. I should've been ecstatic considering how the guy I've been in love with for God knows how long had just asked me to be his girlfriend. But I wasn't. All I could think of was the possibility of us breaking up and I would, inevitably, lose him as a friend.

"I don't want to lose you," I admitted. "It's bad enough that I'm going to school on the other side of the country. I don't want to end up breaking up and losing you as a friend. I'm not sure I could cope with that."

He tentatively reached for my hand. It wasn't the first time. We often held hands when it was just us, when we watched the stars or were watching a movie or something. But, even so, since his proposal it seemed uncannily alien to me.

"I can't think of any way to help you with that right now. I don't want to lose you either," he mumbled. "I guess we can only take it one day at a time."

I nodded slowly. "Alright. One day at a time."

"So, is that a yes?" he asked unsurely.

I nodded timidly. "Yeah. Just one thing, though: you are horrible at asking girls out."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "So what? Besides, this was even worse because it was you."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" I asked slowly.

Troy frowned. "Did you take it as one?"

"I think so," I mumbled.

"Then it was a compliment," he said confidently, making us both laugh.

When our laughter died down, we looked across at each other as if we were truly seeing each other for the first time. He leaned across slowly, snaking a hand around my waist, and kissed me softly.

* * *

That was honestly the best day of my life. It was hard to believe that so many years had passed; that so much had changed. We hadn't even tried to stay friends. Without consulting me, Sharpay had deleted him from my facebook friends and I simply hadn't bothered to add him again. Suffice to say that he hadn't either.

We had defied the status quo. The humble science geek was in love with the Wildcat superstar who had loved her in return. For my senior year, I had received countless threats and insults from the majority of the female East High population simply because I was Troy Bolton's girlfriend. Luckily for them, the threats were never carried out. Otherwise, Troy, Chad and a lot of the basketball team would've had a lot to say about it.

The break up had caused me to feel disappointment rather than devastation. It had been sudden, impossible for anyone to foresee that Troy had been dwelling for weeks on end about our ability to stay together through college.

At the shrill ring of my cell phone, I stopped reminiscing about happier, simpler times. Realisation came crashing down, causing a lump to lodge in my throat. I hated being a thousand miles from home.

Glancing at my laptop, I realised that each of my friends were now frantically asking if I was okay. Time to face the music.

Hurriedly wiping my eyes, I answered my cell phone. "Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Honey!" my two girl best friends exclaimed simultaneously.

"How're you holding up?" Taylor, my more sensitive friend, asked quietly.

I sighed. "I'll get back to you on that," I mumbled.

"You're better than her," Sharpay blurted.

I frowned. The last time I checked, not one of my friends had stayed in contact with Troy. That had been their choice and although Chad had indeed tried, it just hadn't worked out. "How do you know?" I whispered.

"He didn't block that information from strangers on facebook. He should really re-think his security settings," Sharpay calmly explained.

I rolled my eyes. "Mr Baylor better watch out. You're halfway to being a stalker."

"Hey, when my best friend's happiness is on the line, I'm going to go to all lengths. Don't worry, Brie, I haven't spoken to him since graduation. Even then it was, and I quote, 'Asshole', unquote." She had said it so matter-of-factly that she almost made it sound like an everyday event to practically stalk your best friend's ex. Even so, it made me smile.

I sighed. "Guys, no matter how I feel, there's nothing I can do about it. If he proposed to her, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Hey," Taylor exclaimed. Wow. Taylor was never one to blurt out like that.

"Um, Tay, are you okay?" Sharpay asked as I found Troy's facebook profile. As promised, his relationship status was available for anybody, including me, to see.

**Troy Bolton**** is engaged to ****Brianna Montgomery**

"All Brie has to do is tell him before he says 'I do' with the whole-" Taylor began.

"-speak now or forever hold your piece," I muttered. "Chad said that. Oh, and don't call me Brie ever again. It's too close to her name."

I could practically hear Sharpay's smirk over the phone. "You're on her profile," she accused.

I clicked on the link and groaned. "Well, this isn't good. She's pretty." I glanced towards Chad's discarded invitation. "I have six weeks. That's just after the school year ends."

"You're considering crashing the wedding," Taylor laughed.

I groaned with embarrassment. "I never said that."

"So?" Sharpay exclaimed. "Damn it, Brie, you can't let him marry her."

The only thing I could think to say was, "I told you not to call me that."

"Honey," Taylor began, "we all wish we were with you over there but this is the best we've got. Consider it."

"You guys should go. Everyone that got invites. Troy obviously still thinks about...you guys," I finished in a mumble. The lump that was lodged in my throat made my voice break.

Sharpay sighed. "Listen, he needs to know how you feel. College is nearly over. Maybe he misses you, too."

"Maybe," I whispered.

"Get some rest," Taylor advised. "Then, just wait. The weeks will fly by and when we're all back in NM, we can think of an action plan."

"Don't start, Sharpay," I warned, unable to cope with her plan which would inevitably transform into a twenty year plan which would end in true Hollywood style with Troy and I having about twenty kids. I just couldn't cope with that. I had never been a fan of contemplating the future. Especially when it involved the guy I loved possibly, probably marrying another girl.

"I never even said a word," she defended. "Anyway, girl, we'll let you go now. It'll get better."

"Let's hope," I sighed.

* * *

As I drove past the **Welcome To Albuquerque **sign, I couldn't help but wonder where Troy was staying nowadays. Was he living with Jack and Lucille? By himself? With her? Questions flooded me and I honestly wanted the answers. I wanted to know if Troy was still himself or if he'd changed because of _her_. I was torn between feeling back in high school, before this mess and feeling like I was halfway through medical school but still not over Troy breaking up with me. It was a normal reason for a couple to break up but I honestly didn't see it coming. He had made my senior year so special that I sacrificed my virginity to him.

I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes and turned the radio up, smiling when 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey came on. The perfect feel good song. I was suddenly grateful for Sharpay's eighteenth birthday present for me: a beautiful cherry red Mercedes convertible. At the time it had seemed silly and over the top but now I couldn't thank her enough. I felt strong and empowered. Like no matter what I decided to do about Troy, it would be okay. I had my friends, I had my career. Even though the thought terrified me to mortification, I also had my future and there would be someone out there for me.

I glanced at the fuel gage and sighed, turning into the next gas station. I turned the radio off and waited behind the beat up old truck in front for the pump to be free. When I went forward enough, I turned the engine off and pushed my sunglasses on top of my head. I climbed out of my car and opened the gas cap and inserted the nozzle into it. I watched the numbers whir around and around, thankful that the money I'd been saving for months on end actually paid for the gas it took to get from Silicon Valley to Albuquerque.

Just as I was replacing the fuel cap and reaching for my purse, I heard, "Ella."

I turned to the direction the voice was coming from and time froze. The earth failed to keep turning, the sun failed to travel across the sky and clocks failed to keep ticking. There he was. The only human being to ever refer to me as 'Ella'. I should've recognised the truck with the scratched sides and the crooked bumper and the backseat of the cab which held too many memories to count. He stood there in an old lumberjack shirt and some torn black jeans. He'd been to the scrap yard. Ever since we met, he had been obsessed with cars. He helped Jack out with fixing cars so much that his fingers were permanently stained with oil and grease. His hair was darker than I remembered, his skin had a subtle tan as if he'd been on vacation for a few weeks in somewhere exotic. Maybe he had. I hadn't spoken to him since he'd dropped the bombshell a few weeks before graduation. A lot of things had changed about him: he was taller, more muscular...But he still had his honest blue eyes.

Bottom line? He was more handsome than I remembered. And there weren't any obvious signs that _Brianna_ had forced him to change anything.

I smiled tentatively and headed towards the little shop to pay for my gas. Tightening the grip I had on the strap of my purse, I gave him a little wave. "Hey, Troy." I continued towards the shop and before I got in line, I headed to the row of bags of candy. I needed a little energy after such a long journey. I was standing there, contemplating whether to have M&Ms or Twislers when Troy came over and stood beside me. He attempted to look nonchalant, acting like he was doing the exact same thing that I was. But I knew him. The quick little glances at me gave the game away.

"Can I help you?" I asked, reaching for a bag of each.

He scratched the back of his neck, exactly as he had the moment before he'd very unromantically asked me to be his girlfriend. "What are you doing here?"

I frowned as I began digging through my purse for my wallet. "Well, let me think about that. Albuquerque is my hometown, its summer vacation and I was kinda sorta hoping I could spend this time with my friends. Being a thousand miles away makes me miss them. So I'm taking advantage of this time," I explained before I pushed passed him and stood in line. He stood behind me and I had to hold my breath. We had stood in this same position a million times before. And it had always been more intimate than it was at the moment. Even before we were together, he would wrap his arms around me from behind. He always kept me warm and made me feel safe.

After we both paid for our fuel and my candy, we went outside, stopping while I packed everything into my purse and put my sunglasses over my eyes.

"How's Stanford?" he asked, rather awkwardly.

"It's good. It's perfect. I can't think of a better school and after being cooped up here for so long, it did me good." I fiddled with my fingers quietly in the silence that followed. Luckily, with the small gas station being unnaturally quiet, there was no rush to get to our cars.

"Gonna be a doctor?" he murmured.

"Halfway there," I explained.

"I'm sorry," he apologised.

"For what?" I shrugged. "I'm over it." I glanced at my watch. "But, right now, I need to get going. My parents will be waiting for me." I headed back towards my car.

"How are they?" he asked as he followed me.

I climbed into my convertible, setting my purse on the passenger seat. "They're good, they're fine. Is that everything?"

Troy scratched at his arm. "I missed you."

I nodded shortly, unable to voice anything.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" he began.

"No. You shouldn't. I bet Brianna would be really upset if she knew that. Now I have to go. Goodbye Troy." I turned to the radio on and pulled out of the gas station. Driving down the highway towards home, I felt my insides crumble. He said he missed me. So what? That doesn't mean anything when he proposed to someone else. Relationships don't work that way. What did he expect? That he was the only thing bringing me back to Albuquerque?

But he wasn't. And until the wedding, I'd hold onto that.

* * *

I sat down in the very last pew along with everybody else except Chad who was stood up front. Everybody was trying and mostly succeeding in blocking me from everybody's view. As far as any of the other guests were concerned, I didn't exist. Chad was stood up front Jack, waiting for Troy. They all looked like freaking marshmallows. This Brianna was giving Sharpay a run for her money. Pink was everywhere. The flowers, the tuxes, even the carpet that trailed down the aisle. It looked like I had travelled from Earth to planet Frufru or something. There was no way in hell that Troy had any part in the organisation of the wedding. He hated pink. He had merely tolerated Sharpay's wardrobe. And, luckily for him, I wasn't a fan of pink either.

That was why I had chosen a simple pale blue silk knee length spaghetti strap dress. My hair had been styled by Sharpay in a bun with loose curls framing my face. In fact, my entire appearance had been down to Sharpay. Although, I thought, considering I was 'invisible', it was pretty silly to dress me up like this. I appreciated the effort but I didn't see the point.

"Guys, I really don't think this is a good idea," I mumbled nervously.

"We're not forcing you to do anything but we want you to know that this is your opportunity," Zeke said quietly.

I sighed and nodded, fiddling with the hem of my dress. "I guess you're right."

Then, Troy walked down the aisle to take his place next to Chad and Jack. Well, he looked the most ridiculous. His face said he was excited but his eyes said that he wanted to get this over with. He looked super uncomfortable and kept tugging at his pink (yes, pink again) tie. Chad was trying to reassure him but didn't look like it was working.

"What is that poor boy wearing?" Taylor muttered. "I should be filling the divorce papers out right now."

I couldn't help smiling at that. Taylor being the almost-lawyer that she was had a knack for spotting a divorce before anybody else. Sadly, I couldn't help agreeing with her in this case. I mean, it was Troy's choice to break up with me for the reasons he did but it was our friends' choices to stand by me. I suppose without any of the old guys still with him, he had simply not thought things through.

Seeing Troy standing there, even if he did look ridiculous, reminded me of what everybody had been telling me since the day I'd heard the news. There was a point in every wedding where someone could declare why the couple shouldn't marry. That was _my _opportunity today. I had the chance to tell him how I still loved him. But I wouldn't get a second one. This was my last chance.

Imagine if I actually did it. I could stand up, declaring my love for Troy, he would tell Brianna to sling her hook and would choose me. Then, we'd jump into his truck (no doubt it was around somewhere) and ride off into the sunset. Or at least to wherever he was staying.

Yeah, right. Like that was ever going to happen. I couldn't even read a report in front of my freshmen English class, let alone confess my love for my ex-boyfriend who was, at this very moment, waiting to get married.

The priest signalled for us to stand as the organ began to play. It wasn't the usual, predictable 'Here Comes The Bride' tune. It was awful. I've never been a musician. That just never appealed to me. But, I was pretty sure it would be described as all minor. Was it a death march?

"Is this a wedding or a funeral?" Sharpay grumbled.

I stifled a giggle in Zeke's shoulder. Even Sharpay was complaining about this wedding.

Brianna began walking _so slowly_ down the aisle. Her facebook profile reckoned she was 'strawberry blonde'. But I, the non-beautician that I am, still stand by the fact that she is, in fact, ginger. And, it looked awful in an awkward-looking up do. I couldn't see her face but I was willing to bet that she was slathered in makeup. Her dress was certainly...something. It was wide and flowy. Alright, it looked like a pastry that Zeke would be ecstatic to bake.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Taylor grumbled.

"Are you talking about her or the dress?" Sharpay whispered.

We sat back down and watched as the priest began the service. Surprisingly, the traditional vows were recited with Troy tugging at the cuffs of his tux jacket.

The moment was coming.

I was running out of time.

My heart raced, my palms sweated.

"If anyone knows any reason why these two should not enter into holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest's statement registered through my nervous almost-panic attack.

This was my last chance.

I cautiously got to my feet, gripping the back of the pew in front to help my balance. The room spun for a moment before I turned to the altar and the three hazy versions of Troy slowly merged to make one clear version of him staring at me in shock. I felt my hands shaking as they gripped the pew in front. Brianna was looking insulted and every person's eyes in the room were focussed on me.

"I object," I murmured timidly.

"Who are you?" a woman from the front pew exclaimed as she stood up, dressed in a pink skirt suit with the same ginger hair as Brianna.

My friends let me pass by them and I cautiously began walking towards the altar where Troy was staring at me with an expression I couldn't fathom.

"I'll handle this, Mommy," Brianna said bitterly.

_Mommy?_

Her mother reluctantly sat back down as Brianna turned towards me as I walked closer, stopping in line with the first pew. "Who are you?" Brianna demanded.

"I'm-" I began.

"Ella," Troy breathed.

I shrugged. "I'm Gabriella Montez." I swallowed nervously and made a few more cautious steps towards them. "I'm sorry for interrupting, I don't usually do this sort of thing but I can't let you get married."

"Why?" Brianna spat.

I turned to Troy. "I'm still in love with him."

"You went out," Brianna whispered in shock.

"Senior year," Troy mumbled, looking into my eyes. "Best year of my life."

I smiled faintly at him and stepped even closer. "If that's so, why are you here, Alex?"

"You haven't called me that since..." He trailed off, having no need to say the words _I broke your heart_.

I stepped closer to him and finally let him pull me into an embrace. "Alex, I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, El," he whispered.

I pulled back and stepped out of his arms. "Alex, I'm sorry if this embarrassed you."

He smiled in amusement. "Who are you and what have you done with my ex girlfriend? She'd never have the guts to do this."

"Actually, I feel like I'm going to throw up," I confessed.

Troy chuckled and nodded. "That sounds like you."

I felt my cheeks redden. "Look, Alex, I didn't come here to embarrass you or force you to do anything or even to talk about the break up. I just need you to know that I love you and I know that somehow, no matter what you decide, I always will." I felt tears well in my eyes as I looked at him.

"Troy," Brianna hissed, "tell her you're with me now."

"I can't," he mumbled as he turned to her. "Because I'm in love with her, too."

A smile slowly spread over my face. "What?"

He shrugged and stepped towards me, taking my hands in his. "I was confused, lost and most of all, a huge jerk when I broke up with you. I didn't know who I was but now I do. I'm nothing without you. This isn't me. You know that."

"A small wedding, at a small church with a small reception," I recited from a long-time-ago conversation we had.

He chuckled. "Exactly. This isn't what I want. I want you."

"You won't lose faith in us, no matter how long it takes for me to finish medical school?" I asked timidly.

"I won't lose faith," he promised.

"Troy," Brianna yelled.

He sighed and turned to her. "Brianna, this time has been awesome and all. But, I don't want it to be just awesome. I want it to be ineffable."

I quirked an eyebrow.

"I've been studying," he protested. He turned back to Brianna. "I'm sorry." He turned to me. "I want to be with Ella."

He hesitated before he leaned closer and kissed me tenderly. The hesitant action was not passionate or lustful. But it was sweet. And with that sweet action, sweet memories flooded me. Kissing Troy for the first time. Lying in bed with him holding me at night unbeknown to my parents. Making beautiful love to him.

It was all so beautiful.

I pulled back and felt a tear drip down my cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. "You okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"So, you don't mind if I want us to get back together?" he murmured.

"There's that romance," I said sarcastically. "I'd love to."

"What about me?" Brianna whined.

Troy sighed. "I truly am sorry. But, I want Ella."

Brianna let out a frustrated shriek and marched back down the aisle, pushing past Troy and I, with the bridesmaids and the mother of the bride chasing after her.

I turned back to Troy, tugging at the lapel of his blazer. "You don't like that tux do you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not one little bit."

"Good. You look like a gay pirate," I joked. "Do you mind if we get out of here? I can feel people staring at me."

He smiled. "Sure." He turned to the guests. "Sorry for the interruption. There won't be a wedding today." He kissed my forehead. "My truck's out back. Wait there while I get out of this thing."

I nodded. "Alright. I will."

I made my way out of the church, feeling my heart rate slow down once I escaped people's gazes. I had Troy. He was mine again. I spotted his truck and felt a smile tug at my lips. The sight of it created a comforting feeling of familiarity. Along with that familiarity brought a sense of predictability. We were different people than we were in high school. So, maybe the break up hadn't been a bad thing. Even though both of us had changed, I had a wonderful feeling that our relationship hadn't.

I jumped onto the hood of Troy's truck and waited for him to come back out. Could this really be our second chance? _My_ second chance?

The back door of the church opened and I smiled brightly at the sight of Troy now in a pair of faded jeans and a white button up shirt. He jogged towards me and greeted me with a kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

I felt heat flood my cheeks. "I love you, too."

He stroked my cheek softly. "You were really brave to do that."

I shrugged. "You were brave to walk away from her."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you were around when they said speak now." He leaned closer and kissed me again.

And that's what happened when I spoke now.


End file.
